Needs for efficient power management of wireless devices have proliferated exponentially with the increasing demand for power consuming features in wireless, battery powered products. In fact, wireless devices functionalities have increased enormously and not only for making phone calls, but also for performing applications like capturing images, watching videos, surfing over the Internet, sending and receiving emails, listening to music or enjoying other entertainments, using geo-localisation based tools, etc. Such features stretch the boundaries of power available in a wireless device.
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology offers a wide range of features in demand for wireless devices. NFC is a short range communication technology that allows a portable, e.g. wireless device to emulate both a contactless tag and a contactless reader. It provides an easy way for users to interact with their environment. NFC is currently seen as an enabling technology for a number of applications such as mobile payment and public transportation ticketing, for instance.
In secure NFC applications, in a wireless device, a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), containing applications such as a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) card or ISIM (IP Multimedia Services Identity Module), is utilised as a Secure Element (SE) to hold sensitive information securely. Such sensitive information may include, for instance, credit card numbers and transportation system subscription data.
NFC platforms readily available on the market feature an existing UICC power supply system, which however is not designed to serve the specific needs of the SE. In fact, unlike UICC applications, NFC secure applications are designed so as be able to run even when the wireless device is in a battery-Off mode of operation wherein, for instance, the battery of the mobile phone is discharged or dismounted.
As the battery-Off mode is an optional mode of operation, this requirement of NFC secure application is not adequately addressed by state of the art UICC power supply, and no proper solutions are currently available.